Merry Christmas!!!!!!

It's here! Christmas is upon us, kids all over the world are now counting hours instead of sleeps, and my niece has met Father Christmas for the very first time! The result:

Then:

I have been super organised this year. As opposed to last year, we can actually afford to buy presents now AND the extortionate shipping fees to the UK no longer result in us living on Ramen noodles and the occasional bean for the rest of the week. 

UK gifts had to be sent two weeks ago to ensure they arrived on time (hence my organisation). I am so glad I got them out early, as the queues at the post office today were ridiculous! I am not normally one to be put off by a long queue - I'm patient in that respect, and of course us Brits love to queue! But this one was silly, and there was a woman in the middle with about fifty million parcels to send. So I walked in, chuckled to myself and walked straight back out again. 


FYI: Apparently 'queue' is not a word used often over here. I've been asked a few times what a 'queue' is. I love these little differences! 


A true taste of Christmas for me is mulled wine. As soon as I sip it, I am transported to Lincoln Christmas market (the city of my uni days): 

I haven't yet found it in shops over here, so I found a great and simple recipe online: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hot-mulled-wine/. I also added some orange segments which I left in the mix when I transferred it to the slow cooker to keep warm. As I'm all about mashing cultures together, I served it in mason jars in the style of moonshine:

I dub thee, 'Mull-shine'!

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and safe New Year! And may your New Year's resolution be to have the attitude of Miss Sunshine, the receptionist at my husband's dental surgery: 

"Hello, my name is Jasmine, how can I make you smile today?"

(Gotta love a cheesy line!)